This week, Guy Branum, Karen Tongson and Margaret Wappler are joined by Andrew Ti, host of the “Yo, Is This Racist?” podcast. They take a look at HBO’s West World, and sci fi narratives that explore robots with feelings. Season Two just got started and the team is fairly certain it will be just as complicated as the first.

UPDATE- If you're having audio trouble with the podcast, please re-load your feed. A new sparkling version should pop in. Thanks and sorry for the trouble

This week on the Raydio, old friends and Academy Award nominated screenwriting duo: Emily V Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani. We talk their whirlwind awards season that had just ended two days before, the "Emilys Hospital Room" three-film cinematic universe, Emily takes a “How Goth Are You” Quiz, and Kumail does his famous characters “laid back podcast guy” and “guy who knows anything about music”. They also do some Karaoke! Its terrible! Check out The Big Sick on Amazon, Emily’s Book Super You and Kumail on HBO’s Silicon Valley Season 5 on March 25th

It’s another fun-filled Pop Rocket. This week, special guest Chris Schleicher is all about the Best Documentary Short Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405; Margaret Wappler is all up in season three of Unreal; Karen Tongson wanted to be about Unreal, but Wappler stole her thunder so Karen tells us about the new show Good Girls, and Guy Branum is all about the Great White Way, fresh off his trip to New York with his niece.

Then the gang delve into Oscar talk, sharing tips on how to guess the most wins on the ballot, how they each watched the awards show and all the hot takes they have. There’s just the right balance of reverence and cattiness.

Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani on writing a romcom based on their lives

[R]Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani co-wrote the Judd Apatow produced romantic comedy The Big Sick. It's a sweet, hilarious and truthful story about how the two of them fell in love, tossing all of the classic romantic comedy tropes out of the window. Kumail and Emily come from really different backgrounds; Kumail's from Pakistan. Emily: North Carolina. The film tells their story of finding each other after navigating Kumail's family's traditional views on marriage and an illness that almost breaks them apart.

Before Emily Gordon was writing screenplays and making films, she was a therapist, working with mentally challenged individuals. After over 5 years working as a therapist, she realized that she needed to change careers, moving on to writing full time, and contributing to online and print magazines.

Most people know Kumail Nanjiani as Dinesh on Mike Judge's HBO hit, Silicon Valley. He's also been on Broad City, Newsreaders, and voices characters on Adventure Time. He has been a stand-up comic for a long time and in 2013, got a Comedy Central stand up special called Beta Male.

Jesse, Kumail, and Emily talk about what it was like making a movie about their real life relationship, and about the changes that were made from the first draft to the one that we see in cinemas. They also talk about learning to let go of their story to other people in the creative group, and the first time they showed the movie to their parents.

There's a certain kind of feeling to the director Michel Gondry's films. A little bit of happiness mixed with sadness. Nostalgia for something that you experienced, or maybe something you wish you had experienced. You may have felt it watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep, or Mood Indigo.

For "The Song That Changed My Life", Gondry describes the feeling of saudade and how he felt watching Nico Ferrer perform the song "Le Sud" on a Saturday night.

Michel's currently working on a big new project - it's a TV series called Kidding and it's set to star Catherine Keener, Jim Carrey, Frank Langella and more. It'll be on Showtime later this year.

If you've seen Allison Janney on television lately, it's been in one of two very different roles. On the Showtime series Masters of Sex, Janney played as a somewhat naive, vulnerable 1950s housewife who experiences a breakthrough after many years in a sexless (but not loveless) marriage. Her story is both heartbreaking and hopeful. In the CBS sitcom Mom, she plays Bonnie, a recovering alcoholic who's outrageous, biting, and very funny. Bonnie's been down, but she's making peace with her estranged daughter and getting her life back together. Janney's characterizations are versatile; they allow her to be warm, steely, confident, and thin-skinned by turns. Janney has won Emmys for both roles. She's just been nominated for her first Academy Award ever for her role in I, Tonya, the Tonya Harding biopic.

She spoke to us in 2014 about her early acting days (including auditioning for an intimidatingly handsome Paul Newman), getting comfortable with the inevitable nude scenes for Masters of Sex, and the ways that her mom's background and brother's struggle with addiction gave her insight and empathy for her current roles.

On the debut episode of Switchblade Sisters, April talks with the writer and producer of The Big Sick, Emily Gordon. Things get gruesome quickly as the two of them discuss the 2015 horror-western, Bone Tomahawk. April and Emily examine what makes the movie so good; the insane violence, the heartbreaking monologues, the beautiful cinematography. Plus, Emily talks about the making of The Big Sick and how she uses her psychology background in her writing.

On the upcoming premiere episode, April Wolfe (lead film critic at LA Weekly) sits down with the writer and producer of The Big Sick, Emily Gordon. The genre film Emily chooses to discuss is the 2015, horror-western, Bone Tomahawk. Emily highlights the things she loves about the film; the crazy violence, the heartbreaking monologues, the beautiful cinematography. Plus, she also discusses what challenges and joys she encountered in the making of The Big Sick.

That's just a taste of what's to come. Some other upcoming guests include Karyn Kusama (Jennifer's Body, The Invitation) Heather Matarazzo (Welcome to the Dollhouse, The Princess Diaries) and Issa Lopez (Tigers Are Not Afraid).

The first episode of Switchblade Sisters arrives this Thursday, November 9th.

Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani on writing a romcom based on their lives

Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani co-wrote the Judd Apatow produced romantic comedy The Big Sick. It's a sweet, hilarious and truthful story about how the two of them fell in love, tossing all of the classic romantic comedy tropes out of the window. Kumail and Emily come from really different backgrounds; Kumail's from Pakistan. Emily: North Carolina. The film tells their story of finding each other after navigating Kumail's family's traditional views on marriage and an illness that almost breaks them apart.

Before Emily Gordon was writing screenplays and making films, she was a therapist, working with mentally challenged individuals. After over 5 years working as a therapist, she realized that she needed to change careers, moving on to writing full time, and contributing to online and print magazines.

Most people know Kumail Nanjiani as Dinesh on Mike Judge's HBO hit, Silicon Valley. He's also been on Broad City, Newsreaders, and voices characters on Adventure Time. He has been a stand-up comic for a long time and in 2013, got a Comedy Central stand up special called Beta Male.

Jesse, Kumail, and Emily talk about what it was like making a movie about their real life relationship, and about the changes that were made from the first draft to the one that we see in cinemas. They also talk about learning to let go of their story to other people in the creative group, and the first time they showed the movie to their parents.

Terrace Martin is a musician and producer. He is from Los Angeles' Crenshaw District and grew up in a jazz household, with both of his parents being musicians. He picked up the saxophone at a young age, his talent for the horn leading him all the way through arts high school to California Institute of the Arts. After deciding college wasn't for him, he went on tour with some big acts and began producing for people like Snoop Dogg and YG. Terrace was heavily involved in Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, producing many songs on the album including the hit "King Kunta."

Terrace and Jesse talk about his views on hip-hop and jazz, and why working with Kendrick Lamar is so important to him. They talk about the differences between releasing solo albums and working within a band. Finally, we find out why Terrace roamed from neighborhood to neighborhood as a teenager with his MPC 3000 drum machine.

This week Guy, Margaret, and Wynter talk about The Big Sick, the new romantic comedy from Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani which tells the story of how they met and fell in love. Because because the film is based in tragedy, with Emily falling into a coma in the middle of the film, some people are hesitant to call it a romantic comedy. But not our panel! They discuss how the usual tropes of a romantic comedy get flipped around, and how those changes allow for a more candid and interesting story. They also discuss why brown men falling for white women on screen is problematic, but maybe not in the case of The Big Sick.Guy talks about why he's all about this season of Big Brother, and Wynter tells us why we should forget about all of the other iterations of Peter Parker and go see the Tom Holland led Spider-Man: Homecoming. Plus, the "Song of the Summer" thread is live in the Facebook group and the panelists aren't too happy with the nominations.

When Kumail Nanjiani was a boy growing up in Karachi, Pakistan, he absorbed a lot of American culture. He loved Ghostbusters and Gremlins. He read MAD Magazine. And he knew that someday, he'd move to the U.S. What he never imagined is that he'd become a comedian.

His first exposure to stand up comedy was a Jerry Seinfeld HBO special, and a few short years later, Kumail was on stage himself. He's performed with The Second City, at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater, and on numerous late night shows.

He also co-hosts a stand up showcase, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, and stars in HBO's Silicon Valley.

Kumail talks to us about growing up Pakistani, choosing a distinctly American way of life, and creating comedy about things you love, rather than things you hate.

When Willie Colón was a kid in the South Bronx, he and some his friends from the neighborhood would take their instruments and jam outside in the summers. His neighbors weren't too pleased, but they probably didn't know they had a budding talent in their midst. Willie went on to secure a record deal in his teens and then become a hugely influential musician and bandleader. His music is salsa: a blend of the Caribbean, Africa, South America and his native New York City.

His discography has now sold over thirty million records, and he's collaborated with legendary figures like Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz and Ruben Blades.

Willie joins us to talk about his early success, how he envisions salsa, and his work with Hector Lavoe and Celia Cruz.

It was a great year for comedy. Everyone from seasoned stand-ups to musical comedy groups came out with hilarious new material. We listened to all of it and picked the absolute best for you to enjoy. Get ready for the Best Comedy of 2013 Special, as picked by our staff at Bullseye.

You’ll hear selections from the following, almost all of which are available for purchase (with the exception of the sets from the Atlantic Ocean Comedy and Music Festival).